As part of the play-nice together movement between IT departments and lines of business in larger enterprises, the IT shared services trend is gaining steam. IT shared services goes beyond centralization to recast IT from a cost center to a powerful support system for business imperatives and general productivity. The shift is much more than semantics, it involves a customer-focused approach to providing IT internally, places an emphasis on efficiency without redundancy, and allows enterprises to gain flexibility on their future sourcing options for delivering IT services globally. To delve deeper into what IT shared services is and what the pay-offs and challenges are, this BriefingsDirect podcast taps the insights of two Hewlett-Packard executives, Peg Ofstead, the worldwide solution lead for HP’s IT Shared Services and IT Consolidation Services unit within HP Consulting and Integration, and Ewald Comhaire, director of the global practice for Next Generation Infrastructure and Technology at HP. Interarbor Solutions analyst Dana Gardner moderates the 37-minute discussion. Sponsor: Hewlett-Packard. Have a listen to the podcast here, or read the transcript at http://briefingsdirect.blogspot.com/2006/08/full-transcript-of-dana-gardners.html.